Divergent - review

I picked this book because it's a popular adolescent literature.  I wasn't too excited about it because I figured it was another spinoff of the Hunger Games except which was an extremely violent spinoff of The Giver and nothing can top Lois Lowry's series.

The story opens with the main character going to a choosing ceremony- the function in society that distributes citizens to different factions.   Citizens take a test that indicates their strengths, but all have the freedom to choose - and once a faction is chosen, there is little intermingling thus the values of each faction's culture are continually reinforced as the norm.  The factions were developed based on the belief that the previous demise of the world was due to flaws in human personality, so this world is built on five personality strengths, one assigned to each faction, that they believed would protect their world by counteracting evil human inclinations.  In turn, those factions are given the jobs that will keep this world at peace.  Abnegation (counters selfishness) takes on care for the faction-less and government positions (because selfless by nature, they are considered incorruptible).  They wear gray clothes, don't have mirrors, speak quietly, walk peacefully, eat plain food . . . actions that deny themselves pleasures that lead to vanity because they are always thinking of others.  Dauntless (counters cowardice) guards the fence.  They wear black, are loud, have piercings and tattoos.  Erudite (counters ignorance) takes care of education and news.  They wear a splash of blue and glasses sometimes.  Amity (counters aggression) is in charge of the hospitals and farms.  They wear red or yellow and they are kind and smiley.  Candor (counters duplicity) is in charge of justice - they wear black and white because that's how they see everything.  The main character tests to be one of the rare divergents and is warned to keep this quiet as it is considered dangerous in their world.

What I liked: I ended up getting into it pretty quickly.  It was another fascinating world where you rooted for the main character especially as you read on a realize the world has strayed from its original purposes and as a "divergent", the main character may just help save their world.  It's hard not to like these kind of books where good bands together against all odds.

What I didn't like:  The first page disappointed me - because it was seemed to mimic The Giver with the main character going to a Choosing Ceremony like The Giver's character had the Ceremony of Twelve.  The community revolves around jobs and ways of thinking that everyone must fit into.

The faction names come off as a ridiculous overuse of a thesaurus.  The premise of a society based on personality types is a bit of reach as well - let alone five types - maybe if it were framed as faction values rather than a branding of personality as if people were programmable.  Or maybe that was the point, that living within a community that values such things can reinforce and somewhat program a person to act in a certain way.  (I suppose this is some of the argument for my student in Brooklyn).

And, just to poke a hole in the theory - wouldn't there be no homeless of faction-less if you have too factions that are named Abnegation  and Amity?

Best Lines:  "Humans can't tolerate emptiness for long."
"'The goals of my life isn't just . . . to be happy.'  'Wouldn't it be easier if it was, though?'"
"'Initiation's supposed to wear us down to who we really are...'  'Four says it's to prepare us.'"
"'No one's perfect...It doesn't work that way.  One bad thing goes away, and another bad thing replaces.'"

Rating: 4 out of 5